Fountain-divider.



I R. R. PAGE.

' FOUNTAIN DIVIDER.

. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2c, 1908.

907,638. Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

ROBERT R. PAGE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FOUNTAIN-D IVIDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

Application filed February 26, 1908. Serial No. 417,836.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT R. PAGE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city and county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fountain-Dividers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the printing art, and has for an object to provide an improved fountain divider.

It is the object of my invention to provide improved means for dividing the fountain of a printing press in such a manner that several colors of ink may be run from a single fountain and from an uninterrupted roll, and wherein a portion only of a fountain and uninterrupted roll may be employed, and which divider may be applied to existing forms of fountains without requiring any change.

This improvement consists in a device applicable to the ink fountains of printing presses for serving as a division wall whereby the ink fountain may be separated into sections or compartments in which various kinds and colors of inks may be used respectively. The shape and proportions of this fountain divider are made such as to adapt them in any particular case to fit with proper closeness to the plate or ink knife of the fountain and to fit at the forward and downward end of the divider closely against the ink roller, thus covering a portion of said roller and thereby preventing the different kinds of ink in the adjacent compartments from working along the roller to any injurious extent and thereby interfering with the proper portion of the inking mechanism of the printing press.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fountain divider embodying my present improvements. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a cross section of a fountain and fountain roller having my invention applied thereto; and Fig. 3 is a cross section through Fig. 1.

One of the essentials for a fountain divider is that it shall closely engage the fountain roller, (a fountain roller is illustrated at 5,) and that it shall closely engage the knife, (an ink knife is illustrated at 6). A fountain divider, designated in a general Way by 7, has a face 8 conforming to the outlines of the roller, and a face 9 for resting upon the knife of the fountain. In practice when it is desired to apply the divider to the fountain it will be placed in position with the faces 8 and 9 resting against the roller and the knife respeetively.

For holding the divider in position this is preferably constructed in about the manner illustrated to extend outwardly and downwardly and then forwardly under the bed or frame of the fountain, this arrangement be ing illustrated in Fig. 2, where the divider is provided with such divider arm 10 and with a screw 12 or analogous device to engage a frame, as 11 whereby to clamp the divider in place with sufficient rigidity to hold the same properly against the ink roller and to bear downwardly on the fountain itself. For this purpose the said clamping device is located at a point somewhat forward (and downwardly) from the outer bearing point 20 where the divider rests upon the fountain and by this means a sufficient leverage is obtained for holding the extreme forward and downward end at 19 against the plate or knife of the fountain where this comes adj acent to the ink roll for gaging the thickness of the layer of ink which is allowed to pass out of the fountain on the roll. The arm 10 will be proportioned to the style of fountain upon which it is to be used, and as the proportions of the frame 11 vary so will those of the arm be varied.

If it is desired to use a portion only of the fountain and roller, or to use several different colored inks with one fountain and one roller, the dividers will be properly placed in position and at the point of application to the knife and roller the front edge 13 of the knife will be forced against the roller. A convenient means for accomplishing this is shown in the bell crank levers 14 and set screws 15. In bringing the edge of the knife against the roller the knife will be bowed out of a true plane, and to accommodate this the edge 9 of the divider at the portion 19, which is a part adjacent to that which engages the roller, will be curved to correspond to the curvature or fiexure of the knife.

One feature of my present improvement relates to the construction of the divider whereby it is provided on the under side and also preferably at the forward end thereof with a space 16. One purpose of this space is to remove the center bearing surface of the face or bearing portion so as to provide a better contact along the edges when the divider rests on the said knife of the ink fountain and also where the divider similarly comes into contact with the fountain roller itself. A further use which I sometimes make of this space is to fill the same with plaster of paris or other material adapted for assisting in the prevention of ink from flowing underneath the device, and from flowing along on the ink roll from one compartment to the other. Also when for these purposes a paper or other sheet of material such for instance as a suitable fabric or blotting paper is laid under or forward or both of the divider, the said side bearings are adapted for pressing firmly thereon while leaving the middle portion of such strip or packing relatively free of pressu re and thereby securing the most advantageous application of the same to the control of the fiowage of ink. In the present instance, the faces 8 and 9 are channeled at 16 respectively, which gives two points of contact in the flanges 1717, which will have the effect of preventing to a large extent the passage of the ink; and to further assist in securing a tight joint a strip of blotting paper 18 may be placed between the flanges 1717 and the knife and roller. The blotting paper will have a natural tendency to crush down under the flanges 17 and to swell up into the channel 16. This blotting paper will act as a dam for preventing the flowing of the ink and will effectively prevent the intermingling of two different colors of ink when used in connection with multi-color work.

It will be seen that the divider may be readily applied to and removed from the fountain without requiring any change in this from existing forms of fountains, and the packing material which is employed is one which is readily at hand in every printing shop, and which is inexpensive, particularly so, in view of the small amount of this material which is required in connection with the divider.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture a fountain divider comprising a body portion for entering a fountain and having a segmental channeled engaging face forming two separated lines of contact for engaging the fountain roller, and a channeled engaging face forming two separated lines ofcontact for engaging the ink knife, and means for fastening the same to the fountain.

2. As an article of manufacture a fountain divider comprising a body portion for entering a fountain and having a segmental channeled engaging face forming two separated lines of contact for engaging the fountain roller, and a channeled engaging face form ing two separated lines of contact for engaging the ink knife, a neck carried by and curved from said body portion to a point opposite the ink knife engaging face, and a set screw carried by said neck opposite the said ink knife engaging face.

3. The combination with a fountain embodying a fountain roller and an ink knife, of a fountain divider having a pair of spaced apart channel-forming flanges for engaging the ink knife and a pair of spaced apart channel-forming flanges for engaging the roller, and means for effecting the'engagement of said flanges and the ink knife and fountain roller.

Signed at Nos. 915 Murray street, New York, N. Y., this 25th day of February, 1908.

ROBERT R. PAGE.

Witnesses:

FRED. J. DOLE, HENRY E. GREENWOOD. 

